Wyverley
by Troodon
Summary: Sabriel's school years at Wyverley, her struggles, friends, and later, her first forays into Death. Chapter 6 is up, reviews are welcome!
1. Arrival

Yes, this is hopefully going to be the start of a full-length fic! It's going to be about Sabriel's school years at Wyverley, which the book only mentioned briefly. I will try to update regularly, though I'll be gone for most of July.

__

_DISCLAIMER: Hey, I actually remembered! Nothing here belongs to me, and I'm not making money off it. This will go for the whole story._

**Chapter One**

The little girl tugged at her father's sleeve.

"Father...where are we going?"

He glanced down at her, hesitated, and swung her up high into the air. Sabriel giggled with all the delight of a five year old, laughing and flailing her tiny fists at him.

"Why did we leave the House? Father, are you going to travel with the troop again? I'm coming with you this time!" she cried eagerly, as her father lowered her back down. He looked intently at her. There was something in his eyes Sabriel couldn't grasp, a sort of sadness mixed with anxiety.

"Yes, my girl, we are going traveling. It's time for you to start school, and meet new friends."

"You'll be coming with me, right?"

"No, Sabriel," Father told her gently. It was now or never, and though his daughter was a tough one, he didn't want her to cry. "I have to go away for a while. You'll be with little girls your own age, and plenty of people to talk to."

As he had feared, she didn't understand. "Why?"

They had reached a tall, metal gate, encircling a large building with towers, turrets, and sturdy stonewalls, nestled among a forest of trees and green lawns. A large sign read, 'Wyverley College for Ladies of Quality."

"It's time for you to grow up, Sabriel, and I can't teach you when I'm always going from place to place. You won't cry, will you? Be a good girl, and be brave for me."

Her lower lip trembled. She was silent, but at last, smiling again, she looked up at her Father's face, memorizing the long, pale face and kindly dark eyes. "I'll be good for you, then. How long will I be here? And when are you coming back?"

He smiled in return but didn't reply, and opened the gate.

* * *

The Headmistress of Wyverley College looked enquiringly at the tall, black-haired man and his daughter.

"Term doesn't start until next week," she said. "Or are you here to register?"

"I have already registered, if you may recall, and I am here to drop my daughter off, Headmistress Umbrade," the man answered. "This school does teach magic?"

It was more of a statement then a question.

"Yes, it does, but not until we deem them capable, and then they learn to the fullest extent of their ability. We have a qualified Magistrix here." Mrs. Umbrade replied hastily, noticing the faint mark on both father and daughter's foreheads. She didn't know much about magic, and to admit the truth, she didn't want to: she was rather afraid of it.

"Very good," the man said, sitting down on a chair, the little girl perched on his knee. He gently pushed her off. "Are there any forms I have to fill out?"

"Yes," Mrs. Umbrade pushed some forms and notices over. "Here you go, and please sign your name there. When you're done, we can tour the school, and get your child settled in. Some students have already arrived and you can get to know their parents. It's a lovely day, so we can also look around the track fields and-"

He interrupted her firmly. "I'm sorry, Headmistress, but I am in a hurry, and though I would like to stay longer, I have not the time. I will accompany Sabriel to her rooms, but that is all the time I can spare. Will you please see to it that she is comfortable?"

All the while the girl had been silent. Now she spoke up. "Father, don't go again," she begged. "I'll be better than ever if you don't go."

He laughed, and took her hand in his as they left the office. Looking earnestly at his daughter, he said, "I am sorry, Sabriel, I can't stay. But I'll come and visit at Midwinter, all right? "

They stopped in front of a plain wooden door in the south tower. The man opened the door and surveyed the plain but tidy room with approval. Sabriel patted his hand solemnly, hugging him around the waist. "Fine. But you better come, or else...!"

Mrs. Umbrade, watching this affectionate display, was suddenly overwhelmed with sudden grief. Her own father had died only last year, and she had never really regretted his stern, unyielding presence until now.

As the father turned to leave, saying his goodbyes, the Headmistress took the little girl by the hand and led her away, back into the halls of Wyverley College. Sabriel never looked back.


	2. Pink Dresses

Notes:

GN didn't exactly describe what school was like, so I'm going to take some liberties with subjects and grades and so on. Thanks!

_DISCLAIMER: Refer to chapter one. I only own Kaisha and Maggie; they're not from the book. Thanks. _

**Chapter 2**

Sabriel's first year at Wyverley was confusing even by anyone's standards. After being placed in Primary Form because she was only five and not yet old enough to be with 'the older girls', she found that she actually liked Wyverley a lot, once she had gotten over her shyness and missing father. Everything was new to her, the other students towered over her like giants (giantesses, to be exact), and the school was so big! It was even bigger than the House (imagine that!).

On the first day all Sabriel could do was stare at all the other little girls staring back. She felt uncomfortable and bashfully turned away whenever the Primary Form teacher asked her something. "The quiet one," the teacher remarked, and then looked over at a rambunctious girl across the room who was screaming at the top of her voice. "Wish Ellimere would be more like her," she said to an assistant, who nodded tiredly. Sabriel overheard that and immediately hated Ellimere: she disliked, with an intense childish resentment, the loud, noisy girl with blonde pigtails who annoyed her and everybody else.

She did have friends of a sort, though. Kaisha and Maggie were both nice and good playmates, although, Sabriel thought, Maggie was a bit too overbearing at times.

At Midwinter that year, her father suddenly materialised in the hall. Sabriel didn't remembered how he got there; later, she could only recall rushing into his rather soggy embrace, as it was 'pouring buckets' out. He had promised he would try to come in the spring sometime too, but he never did. But father had come at the end of the school year, and Sabriel was happy enough with that. She clung to him until he went away again, waving goodbye till he climbed up and hill and disappeared over the rise.

The First Form passed more quickly. Now that they actually had real lessons to go to, Sabriel felt like she'd been dropped on her head as they scrambled everywhere to classes. She found she was very good at English and Science, okay at Geography, and absolutely horrible at Mathematics; she just didn't get it. The halls and corridors seemed awfully long to their shorter legs as the older students walked by leisurely. She did all her assignments earnestly and was therefore known as 'the serious one'.

Father visited again that year. He looked older and thinner than Sabriel remembered and she felt vaguely worried. Next time, he told her, he would come in the form of a sending. Library, he said, second window on the west wall, one o'clock after midnight. Sabriel awaited him with increasing curiosity and a small bit of doubt. But father did come, his sending rustling the curtains and unfolding, slowly, through the window. He smiled at her, and when she ran to hug him, he felt just as warm and alive.

One embarrassing incident was when Sabriel dropped a bowl of tomato soup at the meal table, shattering the bowl and getting soup all over her dressed. She was scolded shrilly by an enraged Cook and Headmistress as she tried to scrub tomato out of her dress and blazer. Tomato, she found, was dreadfully hard to wash. She spent the rest of the term with a pink dress.

Sabriel decided she didn't like pink dresses.


	3. Second Term

_I give my sincerest apologies for the long wait. I guess I dumped this fic for a while, and I was feeling so guilty...yes, I was being a bad little girl...anyways, here's the update at last! It'll be great if anybody drops a review._

Disclaimer: I own nothing here you recognize. Roger that? Over.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

The Second Term started with agonizing monotony.

Mothers came on special visits to see their daughters pin new badges to their blazers, fathers rumbled approvingly, and new teachers were introduced. Sabriel was staring into space, leaning against the table as the Headmistress made her opening speeches. Sulyn elbowed her.

"Sabriel! We're going back to the dorms...Sabriel?"

"Why does Umbrade have to talk so long?" she grumbled. "Making us late for lessons..."

Sulyn grinned. "I thought you idolized her--"

"I do not! That was Primary 't believe I actually told you..."

Sabriel glanced at her schedule as the two girls hurried to pack their bags. First day was always hectic. "We have English in the morning, Science and Geography in the afternoons...and Etiquette. That's our new subject. Alongside Maths, Ancelsterrian Studies, World History...and the course we applied for."

"Yes," Sulyn answered absently, looking under the bunk bed that she and Sabriel shared. "Have you seen my notebook...oh, there it is!" She grabbed it. "How did it get under the bed? Let's go Sabriel, we haven't much time!"

"I'm only waiting for _you_, Suly."

* * *

"Miss Fox!"

Ellimere turned with a half-hidden scowl. "Yes?"

"Yes, Miss Prionte, if you please."

She sighed. _"Yes, Miss Prionte?"_

"Miss Fox, your curtsey is awful. You are wobbling and your back is not straight. Class, again!"

The whole room dipped, bobbled, or in Ellimere's case, wobbled simultaneously.

Miss Prionte shook her head. "No, no! Again!"

Every girl sighed and curtseyed again. Kaisha fell over with a crash and got up, face flooded with red. Miss Prionte ignored her.

"That is better..." --a snort of disbelief-- "Miss Fox, what is your excuse for a slouch?"

"I have no excuse, _Miss Prionte_," she managed to spit out, glaring while the students all nodded sympathetically. A few snickered and Ellimere shot them a death glare. "Sorry."

"It's all right," Sulyn whispered to Ellimere as the bell rang, signalling the end of class, who all stampeded out with cries from Miss Prionte--"Softly, girls, softly!"--behind them. "She just picks on you, that's all. We're all as bad as you."

"But _why_? I've done nothing to earn a grudge." Ellimere tossed her head. "'No, Miss Fox! Wrong, wrong! Straight back, Miss Fox...' " she mimicked. "Never mind. You guys know what's for dinner?"

"Chicken, carrots, and cabbages," Sabriel supplied. "I know, I know," she said as Ellimere opened her mouth in disgust. "You don't like cabbages. We all know. By the way, do you want to sit with...?"

"Elli! Come over here! And _did_ you hear what Joan did today...?"

Ellimere waved goodbye ran away to another table, where her best friends all waved her over. Sabriel glanced a bit longingly at the loud group with all the popular girls. Sulyn nudged her.

"Hey, don't forget about me!"

Sabriel smiled.

* * *

It was morning. Sabriel stirred groggily and wondered why her pillow was so hard. She blinked her eyes open and realization hit her. With a small yelp she leapt up, knocking over the chair. She'd fallen asleep! On the table! Homework not done! Still in last night's clothes! Late for class! Aaahhhh...

Wait one moment...

She looked around and saw that Sulyn was still asleep. The clock read six-thirty, and she sighed. Class wouldn't start until eight.

Scattered all over the table were the sheets of her maths homework, still blank. And now she had a crick in her neck. Sabriel groaned quietly and set to racking her tired brain. It was logical reasoning; heck, how was she to know (or even care) what colour towel or shoes or hat Nordon, Kaylie, or Yves had?

Footsteps sounded on the stairs and Ellimere appeared, still in her nightgown and yawning. Sabriel didn't look up, too busy fuming over stupid Yves.

"M-morning, Sabriel," Ellimere yawned. "It's really early. W-what are you doing?"

"Math homework," she replied shortly. "I didn't get it done."

Ellimere gasped dramatically, her mouth stretching into a large O. "Sabriel didn't get her homework done? Oh my, my..."

"Be quiet," Sabriel said crossly. "I've spent the whole night and I still don't get it..."

The other girl huffed. "Move aside," she ordered. "I'll show you how it's done!"

Sabriel obediently edged over as Ellimere plopped down. "Let's see," she muttered. "Oh, it's _this_ question. It's really quite easy. How can you not get it...?" she checked herself. "Here, look. If the girl has the yellow towel, then it's Kaylie, right? So that leaves the other options open--"

"Yes, I got that part, but--"

"Just listen. You'll have to get this because there's harder questions on the second page."

Sabriel groaned. "Fine..."

* * *

It was a crisp, cool day. Sabriel shivered as she reluctantly slipped from underneath her covers. The morning bell signalling breakfast rang just as she was trying to comb her long hair. Sulyn was already by the door.

"Come on, Sabriel!"

Settling for tying it out of her face, Sabriel picked up her school bag and they both rushed out of the dorm. It was a policy of Miss Umbrade's that you had to be right on time for breakfast or else you won't get any at all.

Maggie ran up to them afterwards. "Hey guys, _I_ have Basic Magic this morning." She threw her hair back importantly, showing a pale mark on her forehead. "How about you?"

Sulyn checked her schedule. "We have it too. It'll be a small class, though. Not many girls have the Charter mark. Sometimes I wished..." and she sighed. Sabriel understood.

Last year, Sulyn had told her, confidentially, that her mother was from the Old Kingdom, a place people only whisper about, a place where nobody really knew. She wasn't a Charter Mage, but the mother had fallen in love with her father, a rich minister's spoiled son with an alluring faint mark on his brow. When he had finished playing with her, he'd left her to fend for herself with a babe in her arms. Sulyn hated her father, but tried to make it up in full to her mother, a frail, petite woman whom Sabriel had seen once from afar, standing just in the gates and talking quietly with her only daughter.

Sabriel had sighed at the romantic tragedy at the time, but now she only hugged Sulyn reassuringly. "Don't worry! I think Basic Magic will be a snap, and if you really don't like it you can drop it in Fourth Form if your mother--" Sabriel stopped awkwardly.

"That's a comfort," Sulyn muttered, but she brightened noticeably. "Besides, I don't care if _he_ was a Charter Mage, I just...well, never mind."

They climbed the stairs to the very top of the north tower, where the Magistrix taught her lessons. It got colder as the spiral steps went on and Sabriel wished she'd brought her jacket.

Arriving at an oaken door at the top, panting slightly, Sabriel knocked. There was no answer, so she tried the doorknob, and found it locked. They both sighed and waited.

Sabriel began to feel uncomfortable as time passed and nobody came. Looking around, she noticed a smaller door to the side. Walking over to the door, she put an ear to it, heard a faint noise, and knocked hesitantly. The door opened almost immediately.

"Is this Basic Magic?" Sulyn asked timidly, staring up at the tall, grey-haired woman who opened the door. She smiled, a large grin transforming her stern features.

"Yes...oh! Time for my lesson," she laughed, slapping herself on the forehead, where a faint mark shone. "I am sorry I forgot. But where are all the other students?"

Sabriel shrugged. "Maybe they're coming; we did come early to class, after all...look, there's Maggie and Glesi and the twins."

Their teacher unlocked the oaken door. "Come on in, girls. I'm Magistrix Green," she added as they trooped in. "Settle down, and when the bell rings we'll begin."

The room was unlit, cluttered with books, shelves, and a row of desks jammed against a corner; there were several rugs, easy chairs, cushions, and blankets gathered somehow into a circle. Sabriel dropped her bag on a rug and sat on it, Sulyn next to her. The twins, Rina and Ronda, sat in a corner, while Maggie plonked herself in an armchair and proceeded to recite all she knew about the Charter to an adoring Glesi. Sabriel groaned quietly.

"I can't believe the way she talks on and on," Sabriel whispered to her friend, glancing at Maggie. "Her mouth is like those non-stop engines."

Sulyn chuckled quietly as the bell rang, and Ellimere finally burst in, out of breath, and _almost_ late.


	4. Scrapbook

_Greetings, greetings…here's an update! I'll be hopefully updating more often over the winter break. Happy Holidays everyone! Ice cream sundaes with sprinkles for everybody!_

_Sabriel Moondancer: I hereby bestow upon you the reward for first reviewer! Thanks._

_Wyvernwings: Here's an update, finally. I love winter breaks._

_peppershake: Everybody makes mistakes! The tomato incident was actually similar to something I experienced…hehehe…_

_You fruitcake: Thanks! Interesting name, by the way._

_elfin2: Thanks for the correction about the "dressed". I didn't catch that…whoops…_

_DISCLAIMER: Well, do I look like Garth Nix or a publishing company or anything or anyone that owns this? Yes? Really? Well…um…you're wrong!_

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Magistrix Green stood silently at the front of the classroom. Her students hadn't noticed her impatience yet.

_They will,_ she told herself. _Let them figure out that I want their attention._

She surveyed her new students. The classroom was still noisy. A plump, smaller girl with red cheeks who could only stare admiringly at a talkative girl with auburn hair and a rather pouty expression; two identical twins, chatting amongst themselves animatedly; and two other girls, one slenderer and fairer, the other black-haired and surprisingly pale.

_They've all certainly settled in! Sprawled on beanbags and chairs…well, I did want them to be comfortable after all._

The magistrix coughed loudly, even as a tall blonde girl rushed in.

Six pairs of eyes gradually turned her way as, right on cue, the bell rang for class to start: a deafening crashing above their heads. Every girl ducked instinctively, and the magistrix smiled. When the echoes died away, she said, by way of explanation, "This is also the bell tower..."

Some grinned nervously. The pouty-looking girl huffed.

"I have—I had!--guards around to dampen the noise, but lately I've been too busy to maintain them. Perhaps one of you could remind me after class."

Heads nodded.

"Good," the magistrix continued. "Now, about this class…"

* * *

Sabriel thought she had never attended a more interesting and worrying class than Basic Magic. Interesting because of the magistrix, and worrying because she saw all the work that was ahead of her. 

Magistrix Green, they found out, was a quick, clever woman, a bit strict at times, but overall she made a favourable impression on her students. She started off with a lecture.

"The Charter is not something to be dealt lightly with; it can be dangerous when used or performed in wrong ways or even with good intentions. It can also be considered a gift given to you. You are not considered above others, or greater just because you have a Charter mark that was given to you.

What is the Charter, you ask? The Charter is all around us; in the walls, under our feet, in the air we breathe. But more about that later…you need to know that this course is a serious one. Many ignorant students and even other teachers—I won't say who--have joked about this class, saying the Charter does not exist. Some of your parents have specifically asked for you to take this course; that's fine. But if you're going to waste my time, please say so now. I don't want to waste yours. Everybody okay with that?"

There was a murmur of assent. Sabriel faked a coughing attack when Sulyn made ugly faces at Maggie, who had her hand up high in the air and was waving wildly "to catch the magistrix's attention", as she said later after class.

"What is it?" the magistrix asked as Maggie's face turned pink with the exertion and the attention.

Maggie rushed out in one breath, "Magistrix Green, my father says a Charter mark means you're smarter and my tutor says knowing magic is no use in Ancelstierre and it won't give you extra credits or anything for university…"

Sabriel groaned inwardly at this speech and felt herself growing embarrassed for Maggie. The magistrix listened patiently, though her face, Sabriel noticed, hardened somewhat.

"Those are typical responses," Magistrix Green said after Maggie had finished. "We all have our own opinions, but that's not the focus of this Basic Magic course. Enough of that. Now I'll have to take attendance…" She scanned the sheet in front of her. "This list isn't in alphabetical order, is it? I'd have to tell the office, then. Well…anyways, is Glesi here?"

"I'm here!" Glesi replied, sounding anxious. The magistrix smiled at her reassuringly.

"Good. Rina and Ronda…you two are identical twins, right? I have twin brothers, Thom and Macy. They don't look a bit alike though. Sulyn…there you are…hello! Maggie…Maggie Kendric. I take it then—pardon me if I'm wrong—your father is Brin Kendric of the High Ancelstierrian Moot…?" She paused.

Maggie smiled proudly. "Yes, magistrix. He's a very important man, but I don't see much of him because he's so busy dealing with the subbers and the Old…"

(Now, let's dust off Maggie's dictionary, shall we? "Subbers": _n. slang, a crude nickname used by some Ancelsterrians in regards to natives or descendents of the Old Kingdom or of the pygmy tribes to the east. Derived from Latin, "sub", inferior, lesser. _From The Concise Ancelsterrian Dictionary of Modern Terms.)

Sabriel glanced at Sulyn, who had her _Oh shut up _expression written all over her face. She felt the same.

The magistrix managed to make her way back to attendance after Maggie fell silent. "Sabriel…" she trailed off, and stared at her before she shook her head slightly.

"Here," Sabriel called out, though she couldn't understand why the magistrix was looking so odd, and looked away uncomfortably.

"Right…thank you…and the last would be Ellimere. Please come earlier to class next time…hello? Ellimere?"

The blonde girl looked up from examining her nails and grinned. "All right. Sorry. I'll try to be earlier."

"Ellimere's always late," Maggie declared, as Glesi agreed. "She missed Etiquette once because she didn't wake up, and I bet she did the same this morning."

Ellimere glared, but didn't say a word, showing surprising restraint.

_What a snitch,_ Sabriel thought, thoroughly disgusted with Maggie and her attitude. She had no idea why she had ever considered her as a good friend; now they were on speaking terms only. _People change, I guess._

"That is enough, Maggie," Magistrix Green said in a tone that would brook no argument. "I'm sure Ellimere is trying."

"Magistrix…"

"Thank you, Miss Kendric. Let's move on."

"But Ms. Umbrade said—"

"Be quiet!"

The room suddenly seemed to darken. The sun in the sky slipped into a stack of storm clouds. Sabriel shivered and found herself cold; she could feel the power in the air, a tingling at her fingertips. Everyone was quiet, tense, and even Maggie had her mouth shut. The magistrix took a long breath, sighed, and closed her eyes. Warmth surged back into every body, every limb. There was a collective sigh

"I apologize. Now let's move on."

Not even Maggie dared say a word.

* * *

A few days later, a strange package arrived for Sabriel. 

Ms. Umbrade had called her over the intercom out of English class, and she had walked nervously into the Headmistress' office. She was _sure_ she would be rebuked for secretly throwing away the burnt porridge this morning, or for sneaking out of bed last week after lights-out, or…

"This came for you this morning, Sabriel," Ms. Umbrade said from behind her desk. "It's from your father, but I thought it looked a bit suspicious…so I'm getting the magistrix to look at it."

"Oh." Sabriel sat down awkwardly in an offered chair. The package lay on the desk, wrapped in ordinary brown paper. It seemed harmless…

A light flickered out of the corners of her eyes. Sabriel blinked. She could've sworn the package was shimmering and every time she moved her head away she could still feel it. That feeling was familiar, but she just couldn't place it…

The door creaked open as Magistrix Green peered into the office.

"Come in, magistrix," The Headmistress gestured. "Close the door behind you, please."

The magistrix did as she was told and looked at Sabriel curiously, nodding to the Headmistress. "Good morning, Ms. Umbrade."

"Yes, yes, you too," Ms. Umbrade said briskly. "This girl here…a package came for her. You can have a look at it."

"I know _Sabriel,_" Magistrix Green, showing a hint of annoyance at the Headmistress' tone. "She's in my Magic class. But a package, you say? May I?" She pointed at the parcel.

The Headmistress pushed it over. "Take a look. I just thought it looked a little strange…"

As Magistrix Green bent over the package and began turning it about with deft fingers, muttering to herself, Sabriel sat and watched her. The feeling was growing stronger every minute, and with each passing moment her father came to mind. The magistrix frowned.

"This package is…odd," she said at last. "It feels like a…a _book_, but there are Charter marks all around it." She shook her head even as Ms. Umbrade flinched at the mention of the Charter, her beady eyes darting involuntarily to the magistrix's forehead. "I don't know, Headmistress, but--"

"Oh!"

The two older women turned to stare at Sabriel's sudden outburst, who turned pink.

"I think…I think I know what it is," Sabriel tried to keep her voice steady. "But it couldn't be. Father always had it near him, he told me not to touch it until…"

"What is _it_?"

Sabriel held out her hands. The magistrix hesitated, than gave the package over. Sabriel tore at the wrappings, and the corner of an old leather bound book came into view. She let out a sigh and hugged it to herself protectively, for she knew now her father had sent her the Book of the Dead.

"What _is_ it?" the Headmistress repeated, impatient.

"It's…uh, my father's book," Sabriel replied, her answer coming out as a croak. How would she tell them about the Book of the Dead? The book pulsed in her hands as if in answer, half hidden by brown paper. "My father's…um, scrapbook." _That sounds so stupid._ "He said he'd send it to me. It's nothing dangerous…"

She could almost imagine her father saying wryly, _"Well, that's an understatement…"_

"If it's only a scrapbook, then…" Magistrix Green nodded, though she looked suspicious. "It should be all right."

The Headmistress looked relieved. "That's fine. You can…you should…go back to class, then."

Scraping the chair back hastily, Sabriel nearly tripped over her shoes in her rush to get to the door, the book in her arms.


	5. Your Own Choice?

A/N: Miracle of miracles once again! I have finally gotten around to revising this chapter. Thanks once again to all the reviewers.

_thsutton: Thanks for your note about the Book. I'll have to work that in somehow._

_horsiegurl: Thanks for the encouragement! Heck knows I need it. Here's the update._

_You fruitcake: You know how some people have a presence? You can't learn it, you just have it. Well, my English teacher has the presence. When she got angry once, and I mean really angry, everyone of us shivered. The room seriously grew colder, and it was a sunny spring day. I just drew from my own experience…and you can bet we were never 'bad' again!_

_Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction. I do not claim ownership or rights nor am I making money off this._

**Chapter 5**

That night, Sabriel sat on her bunk in the dark, bent over the Book, holding the volume almost reverently. She could feel the Charter all around and in the Book, slight tingles running up her fingertips and arms whenever she touched the cover.

_Am I ready to open this?_ She asked herself. _Does father…am I meant to?_ Then other more disturbing thoughts came unbidden to her. _Why did he send me this? Is he in trouble? He never let me read it with him before. Why did he send this to me?_

As if in answer, a folded letter fell out of the book wrappings. Sabriel picked it up. Peering at it, she recognized immediately her father's flowing handwriting: _Sabriel_. She opened the letter, and saw only three Charter marks on the paper. She touched them, hesitantly, and all at once his firm voice sounded softly, so softly she had to lean down to the paper to hear him. He sounded like he was whispering.

"Sabriel, if you hear this and hold this package in your hands, then Ancelstierre's postal system is to be relied upon," he began, and Sabriel could hear the smile in his voice. "I could think of no other way to get this to you. You know what it is. You are responsible for it for now. I am going east…there is a conflict to resolve…"

He paused, as if reconsidering his words. Sabriel could hear the call of some bird faintly in the background. Her father began again, "You are ready, and I believe, worthy. I will come at Midwinter to show you what I mean. For now, read this carefully, and keep this secret. But I warn you, do not go farther then you are allowed. This Book is not to be taken lightly. Remember, I will come at Midwinter for a visit. Take care and work hard."

The Abhorsen's presence faded away as the letter dissolved into a fine grey dust with a last spark of Charter fire, its job done. After checking for any girl who might still be awake, Sabriel opened the Book gently. The first and only sentence on a blank page shone at her out of the darkness.

_Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?_

"Of course the walker chooses," she said involuntarily, aloud. She covered her mouth hastily, looking around. If someone caught her awake after lights out—

She had almost begun to relax and was about to turn the page when Sulyn suddenly whispered, "Sabriel?"

Sabriel hurriedly slammed the Book shut and buried under the covers. "Yes?"

"Why are you still awake? It's way past midnight, leave the homework."

Sabriel was torn between frustration and being grateful for Sulyn's concern. "All right. I was done anyway. Go back to sleep."

The Book would have to wait. But a question pestered her, demanding attention throughout her sleepless night.

_Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?_

sssssssssssssssssssssss

As the days passed, drawing ever closer to Midwinter, Sabriel grew more and more preoccupied with the Book, which wouldn't let her read past the second chapter. Sabriel supposed the Book thought she wasn't ready yet, or maybe Father didn't want her learning too much yet. At first she hid the old Book under a pile of underclothes in her dresser (no one would touch t_hose_, right?), but then came Magistrix Green and glamours.

She was fascinated with them. Magistrix Green, however, did not allow them try any but the simplest glamours she could think of: cloaking a piece of furniture in a different colour, making a pen seem like a pencil…to be honest, Sabriel was bored. She was very sure she could do much more; she knew she could. She had already placed a glamour over the Book of the Dead, so the mysterious book seemed to be a nondescript, dusty volume of _Statistics in Society_. Sabriel wasn't really sure what that meant but she was sure it sounded important and stuffy enough to deter anyone from reading the book.

From the start, the Charter Marks flowed easily in her mind, almost automatically arranging themselves into long, complex spells that she never dared to actually try. Father had told her horrible stories about mages who were consumed, or killed, or went insane because they attempted magic far beyond their abilities.

Once, in a fit of rebellion and mischief, she put a glamour over Glesi's soup. The poor girl took one look at her soup, and started to cry hysterically at the sight of crawling worms spilling over the bowl. She crashed back from the table, her fat legs waving in the air. It was well known that Glesi had a horror of worms and bugs and anything of that sort. For a moment Sabriel felt glee.

She was suddenly seized by her conscience, a lingering voice at the edges of her mind. It wasn't fair for her to take advantage of poor ignorant Glesi. Taking the glamour off quickly, so that none of the other girls saw, she bent over her own soup bowl with a red face. Still, it was funny…

"What's with her?" Sulyn remarked, unknowing. "Flies in her soup?"

Sabriel, trying to muffle her laughter in her arms, did not notice the Magistrix glancing her way with a frown.

sssssssssssssssssssssss

"What did Potty say would the test be on?" Ellimere asked languidly.

"Potty?"

Ellimere sighed. "Ms. Pott."

"Oh. Chapter seven, the chapter with algebra." Sabriel replied, not really paying much attention of Ellimere lying on the armchair. She was thinking of how to present her diplomatic letter as an imaginary ambassador to a foreign kingdom. Another one of the Ancelstierrian Studies teacher, Miss Mathason's, write-ups, disguised as "a fun thing to do, girls!"

"Oh no, that's a hard part," Sulyn sighed, but—

"Oh, that's easy, no need to study," Ellimere jumped up. "As if I _ever_. Free time! I'm off outside if you, uh, need me."

"Thanks," Sabriel said, watching Elli's retreating back, at which Sulyn made a mock pout. Ellimere was unofficially her "Math tutor", and through that their friendship slowly grew. Sabriel found that she didn't really mind Ellimere's loudness: it was just the way Elli was, hating "awkward" silences, quietness, and order.

Now, what could she write about? The usual "compare and contrast"? About the countries' different laws and governments, trade concerns, wrangling politicians, borders…

_The Wall. _

Father was across the Wall, in the Old Kingdom. She had only crossed the Wall and the Perimeter once when she was very young, but that was enough to remember the deserted, barren strip of land that looked more like a battlefield than a proper border. She suddenly wondered where Father was. In the east, he had said. She went over to a shelf and pulled out and geography book, but the only maps she found were of Ancelstierre and other minor countries to the southwest. For the first time she realized she knew practically nothing of her home country. Tracing a finger down the map, she located Wyverley, Bain, Corvere… she put the book away resolutely and sighed.

"What's the matter?" Sulyn asked curiously, already scribbling away.

"Nothing, I was just thinking."

Before settling down to her boring run-of-the-mill essay, she took one last longing look outside at the bright sunshine and saw Ellimere running by brandishing a hockey stick.

"I'm here first! I get to pick!" Sabriel heard her yell delightedly. More shouts and exclamations followed as other girls caught up to Ellimere, as Sulyn got up resignedly and closed the window. They exchanged half-smiles of longing, and blocked out the noise as they started writing.

sssssssssssssssssssssss

Anyways, the line divider was not working, so "sssssssssssssssssssssss" stands for a break in the action. Thanks for reading! It won't take you that long to leave a comment.


	6. Into The River

_Thanks to blueicedragon129 and Dracorum for reviewing! Chapter 6 up, revised._

_Disclaimer: I do not claim to own Garth Nix's works; this is only a work of fanfiction and is not for profit but written for entertainment purposes only. _

**Chapter 6**

The Abhorsen came at Midwinter, just as he promised. He looked a little older and more tired than Sabriel remembered, shadows deepening under his weary eyes. But he smiled all the same when Sabriel ran to meet him coming in at the school gates. She hugged him and ambled beside him happily. Her head already came up to his shoulder. He sighed. Children grew so fast, and Sabriel would soon have to learn—

"Where have you been, Father?" she asked.

"Around. It has been a busy year. I just came back last week."

"From the east? That's what you said in your letter."

He smiled, a rare occurrence for him in those troubled times. "Then you _did_ get it!"

Sabriel was glad for his sudden enthusiasm, but she had to ask, "Yes, I've got it, but why did you send it to me in the first place?"

The smile faded a little and he said, "I will explain later…remind me, all right? How is Magic coming along?"

"Very good," Sabriel said. _Fine. Avoid the subject._ "We're just finishing glamours. I put a glamour over, you know, the Book. Is that all right?"

"You have?" The Abhorsen seemed surprised, and he gazed at her thoughtfully. "Not many spells can affect the Book. That is why I had to mail it to you, because I could not send it somewhere else by the Charter. But maybe because a glamour lies only on the surface the Book does not reject it…well, that is unusual. I will look into it." Then he abruptly asked after her schoolwork.

"I think I'm doing well, except for maybe Mathematics," she said. "But I've got someone helping me with that."

"Good." And he went on, quizzing her good-naturedly, laughing.

Conversations, Sabriel would reflect later, were always like that. He was vague about his travels but more then willing to satisfy her curiosity about safe academic subjects. It was as if he relished the opportunity to talk to her like a normal father, who would see his daughter every other weekend.

"Do you have some free time, Sabriel?" he asked after a while, when they had both ran out of topics and were walking together in a pleasant silence.

"Yes. Today's a free day. No classes." Ms. Umbrade had made the announcement rather suddenly at breakfast that morning. Some girls had jokingly whispered she was on the verge of a breakdown, and Ms. Umbrade had looked rather frazzled lately. "What are you going to show me? When?"

He smiled at her curiosity. "Soon. I will have to talk to the Headmistress. Now, you said you couldn't find a map of the Old Kingdom. I have I map I can show you…"

sssssssssssssssssssssss

Ms. Umbrade always enjoyed her afternoon tea of coffee and doughnuts privately. No one would have thought her to be a coffee and doughnuts kind of woman, more like a tea and biscuit one. But regardless of biscuits or doughnuts this was her time to relax and forget. So she sat there comfortably in her big leather chair, nibbling at a doughnut. She really should stop eating them, they weren't good for her, and she was a getting a little heavy around the middle—

That was the train of her thoughts as the secretary peeked in, an odd expression on her flushed face.

"Ms. Umbrade, the, uh, Mr. Abhorsen here to see you. With a student."

The Headmistress set down her doughnut reluctantly, pushed them aside, and slid a few pieces of important-looking documents in front of her. She liked parents and students to see her as a hardworking, dedicated Head, not eating doughnuts and drinking coffee. She placed her spectacles on her nose.

"Send them in, thanks," she said to the secretary, who nodded.

A moment later, "Mr. Abhorsen" was seated in front of her beside a girl with the badge of the Second Form. Ms. Umbrade racked her head for the girl's name even as she tried to peer around her father to see her badge. It started with an S. Yes, an S. Sa—Sally? Sabby? Sa—

"Good afternoon, Ms. Umbrade," the man said. "I assure you this will not take much of your time."

"Good afternoon," she answered. "Not at all. What is it?"

"First, the school fee for the rest of the year," the man said, taking out a heavy pouch, which clanked as he placed it on her desk. "Second, I need to ask that Sabriel take several days of school off."

Ms. Umbrade sat up straighter. "What for?"

The Abhorsen glanced sideways at his daughter, and then gazed levelly at the Headmistress, who suddenly felt discomfited. "Personal…ah, family business, Ms. Umbrade. It is nothing much. Sabriel can catch up on the work after."

"That's fine with me," Ms. Umbrade said. She was not about to refuse a man who had just handed over a seemingly large sum of money. "When is Sabriel leaving?"

"Today, if that is all right."

Ms. Umbrade nodded. "Certainly. Sabriel, remember to sign in when you come back. Thank you, uh, Mr. Abhorsen. Have a safe trip."

"Yes, Ms. Umbrade, thank you," Sabriel said. "May we go now, please?"

"You may," she replied, fingers already inching towards the doughnut. As soon as father and daughter left, she reached instead towards the pouch of money and poured the coins, clinking and rolling, onto her desk.

Every piece was a heavy Old Kingdom denier. Mr. Abhorsen had not cheated her. The Headmistress reached for a cold iron poker she kept by the small fireplace and tested the coins. They were all real, solid silver.

What a good day. She popped the last bit of doughnut in her mouth.

sssssssssssssssssssssss

Sabriel, at the moment, was as happy as any child could be. She was taking an unexpected vacation from school, and going somewhere with Father. He had told her they were going to the Wall.

"Or closer to it," he added, as they trudged along at an easy pace, packs slung over their shoulders. The Book of the Dead was tucked away in Father's pack. "It will be easier that way."

"What?" she asked, but he did not reply. Instead, he pointed out a dark blob, gliding high in the hot air above them.

"The black vulture," he said, watching the bird with a strange expression. "I wonder…"

"Vultures are scavengers, aren't they?" Sabriel said. "Eating dead things? Do you think that's disgusting?"

The Abhorsen regarded her. "They can be our best friends, Sabriel…look! It is flying down…it must have found something. Shall we see?"

Without waiting for an answer, he veered off the small road. Sabriel followed, a little uneasy. The vulture must have found something dead…and now more vultures gliding around overhead. Father suddenly stopped and held up a hand. They had come to a thicket of berry bushes, almost on the edge of a small clearing. He glanced quickly at her.

_Be quiet. Be cautious._

Sabriel nodded and peered around his shoulder. A red deer…a doe, she saw later, laid under a bush, its ginger coat half hidden, left there when it died of old age and the herd moved on. The vulture was already perched on top of it. Sabriel shivered, not because of the dead carcass in front of her, but from the way the doe seemed only asleep, and would rise to her feet any moment and bolt away. The Book had often reminded her about the thin line between Life and Death.

Father and daughter stayed that way, unmoving, watching the vultures feast. When they finally backed silently away and back onto the path, the Abhorsen asked her, "Do you think you know how long ago she died, Sabriel?"

"A day or so, at the most," she said automatically, and then wondered how she knew.

"I think so, too," he said. "Let us get on our way. And do not despise vultures or scavengers—"

"—Because they clean up the world for us, and they can tell you where the dead…thing…lies," Sabriel commented. Everything became clearer: the whole cycle of living, dying, and giving back to those who are alive so they could live. Even the science teacher couldn't have made her understand better. Father smiled with approval, and her heart swelled.

sssssssssssssssssssssss

On their second day of travel, the sun had not even begun to set when Father announced they would stop, and make camp. They were close enough to the Wall.

"What are you going to show me?" Sabriel was excited. She had caught him lightly touching the bandolier of bells he always wore.

The Abhorsen listened: the sound of a squirrel climbing nimbly up a tree, the mole burrowing under the ground, and a myriad of other animal noises going about their business. He deemed the campsite safe, set between the fork of a gurgling river creek, surrounded on three sides by running water. They splashed through the creek and sat down on the grass.

"Death," he said simply. "I cannot teach you how, or even show you, as you were saying. You will have to find it for yourself. Imagine Death. Do not be afraid; I will be there beside you, once you have crossed over."

"How?" She found that her hands were clammy.

"Try," he said.

From the Book, Sabriel knew Death was a river, or something like that…there was something about waterfalls and the First Gate, but memories from the Book seemed to have flown out of her mind. She bit her lip.

"You are not trying," Father commented. "Ask yourself: what is Death?"

Why, Death was dying…of the spirit passing on…everyone and everything had to die sooner or later. Everything that lives has to die…then what? Then Death…Death was a part of Life, and Life a part of Death. She tried to listen, like Father did, and relaxed. She imagined the cold river of Death, of gates, of the dead doe…

She felt cold, and opened her eyes. The river of Death rushed around her feet. A sudden strong surge nearly made her lose balance. She panicked, and the calmness she felt entering Death fled. She fell back, desperate…and felt Father pull her safely back into Life.

_The warm sun. The birds singing. The cool breeze._ Sabriel shivered, and found that she was lightly frosted over. As she breathed deeply to calm herself the frost melted, leaving light drops of water on her skin. Father was watching her, his expression inscrutable. For the first time Sabriel became really aware of what her father really did, and she shivered again.

"Not bad for a first try," he said. "Try again. As I said earlier, do not be afraid. I will be there with you."

Sabriel closed her eyes again. This time it was easier to find that calm stillness, already there, in the back of her mind. She only had to dig it out, listening to the rustles of Life all around her, focusing on the river of Death.

She felt the familiar icy, biting cold. The river of Death rushed once more around her. Another tricky surge in the current nearly toppled her but she was not afraid, for Father was beside her, and what was Death, anyway? Life. Death was part of Life and Life was part of Death.

"Good," he said softly. "Be careful, now. This is Death. The Gate you see before you is the First Gate. If you are killed in Death, you are killed in Life. Understand?"

"Yes," Sabriel whispered, just as softly. Shadows seemed to flow past them, never touching, though some came close to. But they knew the presence of the Abhorsen and did not dare to come closer. She pointed at them.

"Father…are those the spirits?"

"Yes…and remember, they all hunger for life, some more than others. If you fall in the river completely, and let yourself be overwhelmed…you will become die. Each time you go into Death it will suck away some of your Life. Do not go into Death without thought."

"Yes, Father."

They stood there for a moment more, until the Abhorsen said, "This is all I can tell you, Sabriel. The rest…the rest you will have to figure out for yourself. So I had to when I was young, so you will have to, one day. But do not worry much over it. Let us go back."

Sabriel thought of the sun, the trees, and the lively squirrel. Father, Sulyn, Ellimere…even Maggie.

She crossed the invisible border of Death into Life.


End file.
